"How did you get your tyrant boss' permission to go out at such late hours, and stay out for the night?" Dana asked Ellise while they're putting away the boxes of gifts.
"I dropped aunt Joy's name." she simply answered.
"Aunt Joy's is indeed scary," she said.
"I think it's because they're friends, and I have a hunch that she invested in Mr. Wan's company for me." Ellise reason out.
Dana wrinkled her eyebrows and stared at Ellise's brooding face. It looks like she's misunderstanding something.
"It was just a joke you know."
"What joke?" Ellise was confused.
"That aunt Joy is scary therefore Mr. Wan allows you and Grand to be outside tonight."
"Huh?"
Dana dropped the topic and got herself busy fixing all the gifts she got, thinking, it's so difficult to talk to someone that has a different mindset than you. Their awkward silence was broken when Jess entered the room with the bunch of flowers from Grand.
"Dana, where should I put these?"
"Hey, be very careful with it!" she hoisted herself from the floor and dashed to where Jess is standing, grabbed, and cradled the bouquet tenderly in her arms like it's a small child.
Jess rolled her eyes, and asked, "Are you gonna read the card in it?"
"Oh!" she gasped in surprise, as indeed there's a card. She didn't see it when she received the flowers. Well, she was dumbstruck as usual, facing Grand. Jess calls it her displaced infatuation.
"Wishing you a happy birthday! Wang Wei." Dana read the written message aloud for Jess and Ellise.
"If it isn't the most straightforward rejection, I don't know what is." smirking, Jess said.
"What?" her eyes darted back and forth between Jess and Ellise in total confusion.
Ellise as usual averted her eyesight, trying her best not to be part of the brewing drama. But she doesn't have the grace of lady luck tonight, as Dana slumped in front of her, and asked in utter perplexity it's laughable.
"Wang Wei is Grand's name?"
"Yes." was the blunt reply.
Dana slides off the floor looking like a fish out of the water, repeating the name, "Wang Wei."
Jess couldn't hold her tongue and temper with Dana's action, that she found herself yelling at Dana, "Stop it, will you? You're being moronic already."
"What?" she asked, still glued on the floor.
"The guy gave you yellow roses, YELLOW, and the most generic birthday greetings there is!" Acting oblivious is never cute Dana! 'It's infuriating." Jess added, arm crossed.
"I know, I'm being stupid, but I think you're crossing the line," Dana told Jess off, as she stood up and wiped the imaginary dust from her behind and arms.
"If telling it straight to your face is crossing the line, well then excuse me, your infatuation over that guy is nonsensical, it's making me vomit."
"Hey," said Ellise, trying to make Jess stop with her angry tirade, which she regretted the minute the single word came out of her mouth because Dana's attention was turned towards her now.
"How did it happen that Grand was here tonight? It's very surprising for him to come on his own accord after what he said last time."
Ellise was caught off guarded with Dana's questions. She still can catch up with how this girl's brain works, how can she be so oblivious and be perceptive at the same time. Jess might be right that she is just acting slow witted all this time. But then... she thought.
"Ellise, I'm asking a question here." Dana's copying Nancy's business tone.
If not how serious the situation has become, she would laugh her ass off, with how these two girls are acting.
"I did ask Grand to apologize and make up for his rudeness from last time."
"Did you ask him to buy all those presents too?"
"No, I didn't.
"Okay, that's all I want to know. Thank you." Dana said, breathing a deep sense of relief.
"And for you, I would say you're being too much. I want an apology." facing Jess, she tilted her head and crossed her arms too.
Ellise transfixed watching the showdown that is happening between the two girls. She feels that the current situation will get worse, and decides to get away from it.
"I'll go ahead, and get ready for bed. I have to return to the club in time for the morning exercise." "Happy birthday again and goodnight!" she hurriedly left without looking back.
"Hey! You're not supposed to escape by yourself in this situation!" she heard Jess shouting and following behind her.
"Where are you two going?" Dana, yelling.
She and Jess, who already caught up with her, splitting their sides with laughter.
---
30th, August
"Why are you here in the audience with us?" Dana asked.
"I'm not playing, the main and the substitute players, with the manager and Mr. Wan are the only ones allowed there, that's why."
'But aren't you a team? Grand is playing but you're not?" she asked with the curiosity of a five-year-old because honestly, she doesn't have an idea of what's happening.
She can see some people below the game floor with Grand's team uniform but she can't see Grand in the crowd. It must be pretty obvious who's she searching for that Ellise told her, "Grand and another player aren't in there, they're at the waiting room for the players."
She just looked at Ellise in utter ignorance.
"Today's game is the final game for the winner of the single and double teams yesterday, and later in the afternoon is the continuation of the elimination round for team matches, our team is already done with it, we are now just waiting for the team that we will play against tomorrow," Ellise explained.
"I see." she nodded, but in reality, she still has no idea. It doesn't matter anyway, she's just happy that she'll get to watch Grand play.
---
"Dana, where are you? Ellise went with her team, Ting and I are waiting for you in the car, I've been calling you, why won't you answer your phone?" Jess's voice is laced with worries and irritation.
"I'm sorry, I went to the toilet and my phone doesn't have a signal," she answered.
With Jess' tone right now, she won't dare tell her that she was lost because she saw Grand when she was going out of the restroom, tried to follow him, but not only did she lose him, she also ended up lost herself!
"Okay then, just come back to the car," she said and ended the call.
"Hello??" Dana looked at her phone unamused that Jess dropped the call too soon. She doesn't even know where she is right now, this parking lot looks familiar but she can't find the car.
That was fifteen minutes ago.
She is still looking for the car, her phone lost signal again and she's definitely sure that she can't find the location of their car anymore! She asked the parking attendant she saw when she entered the parking lot for directions, but apparently, the guy didn't understand her and just pointed her to the other side of the parking lot, where she is right now. It's dark and she's scared.
She's in that predicament when a car honks behind her and continues blowing its horn when she ignores it! Scared, she's debating whether to continue ignoring the car or run back to where she's from when she heard the man called her name.
"Miss Dana!"
Relief washes over her that it's someone that knows her. When she stepped down from the curb and had a clear sight of the flaming orange McLaren she saw Bobby grinning, leaning outside the car's window.
"Did I scare you?" he asked.
Tears welled behind Dana's eyes and in her most pitiful voice said, "I'm lost!"
She watched Bobby talk to the person sitting beside him in the car, then the passenger door flew open and a beautiful girl in a mini dress stormed out.
The car moved forward and stopped in front of her, and Bobby said, "Get in, we don't want the driver of the car behind us to get really mad."
When she saw the other car driver's angry face with its palm press on the horn, she scrambled inside Bobby's car.
"How about the girl, will she be okay?" she asked guiltily.
"Don't mind her, she'll be fine. So, where to?" he asked with a smile.
"Uhm, I was supposed to be at the East exit of building B, Jess is waiting for me there, but I got lost."
"And your phone?" he asked looking at her lap where she's gripping her phone.
"I don't have a signal."
"For you not to lose your phone signal in this area, you must use a local sim card, but don't worry, I'll bring you where your friend is."
"Thank you."
"No biggie, I attended your birthday, we're friends now," he said, teasingly.
"And look, we're here, and it looks like there's a cavalry."
When Dana looked outside, she saw Ellise, Grand, and some other guys whose names she couldn't remember, loitering outside their car, in what looks like a deep discussion over something.
"Uh, uh!" Dana, I think I should not get off. By the way, can I add you in WeChat?" he said, holding out his hand asking for her phone.
"Oh, okay, sure!" she said opening her phone and letting him scan her QR code."
The door on her side suddenly yanked open and Grand leaned inside the car to glower at Bobby. In surprise, she unconsciously leaned back to Bobby's side.
Grand pulled her out of the car, without saying anything.
Bobby peeked over and said, "I'll give you a call, till next time."
Grand slammed the passenger door, "Go!"
Laughter was heard inside the car, as it drove off.
"What happened to you?" Jess asked, fretting over her side.
"I went out to the wrong exit and my phone lost a signal," she explained. "I'm sorry!" she added when Jess's face darkened.
"You can let her wrist go!" she said, scowling at Grand.